I make no excuses about my love for Jay Ward cartoons. They were an essential part of my childhood and partly responsible for my love of the absurd.
George of the Jungle is the story of a dim witted jungle man and his adventures in the jungle. Along side him for the ride are his faithful companions. There's the talking and refined ape called Ape. There's his big peanut loving elephant called Shep who George insists is a dog. And there's Ursula who's George's mate but he can never remember her name or the fact she's a woman and frequently calls her "Fella" or even Ingrid in one episode. This is actually a point in the show and is included in the theme song.
In any case it's filled with wacky hijinks that if you've ever watched a Jay Ward cartoon you'll be familiar with. Puns, sight gags and ridiculous situations fly at you with incredible speed. There's also a lot of 60's type references which might go over some people's heads but it was a product of the times. It's been said that the table readings would often take a lot longer than they should have because the actors were too busy laughing at the situations they were put into.
Joining George are two other cartoons, namely "Super Chicken" and "Tom Slick". Like George of the Jungle they're wacky little cartoons with a similar plot. Super Chicken is a mild mannered playchicken who when he drinks his super sauce turns into Super Chicken who then fights crime. Along with him is his faithful companion Fred the lion who tends to be the voice of reason.
And finally rounding it out is Tom Slick, the best racer car driver in the world. Every episode involves him racing whether it's in the air, under water or on land. His car, the Thunderbolt Greaseslapper, being modified for whatever terrain they find themselves on. He's joined by Gertie Growler, his manager and mechanic and Marigold, Tom's love interest.
All in all it's a great little cartoon filled with Jay Ward's trademark wacky sense of humor. If you want something silly that will make you giggle, this is the cartoon for you.
